Nigerian author Jerry Falade has lost a more than $2 million publishing deal after suspicions emerged that he used artificial intelligence in the writing or editing of his manuscript, “Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body.”
Mr Falade’s debut crime novel was scheduled for publication in 2028, but his agents withdrew it from sale despite reportedly securing the offer from Macmillan U.S.’s Minotaur imprint. Fourteen publishing houses bid for the novel.
His agents said in an email sent to publishers that even though they were impressed by the manuscript, they could no longer verify whether AI was used in the writing process.
“Jerry Falade produced an incredible manuscript that dazzled us and the top publishing professionals around the world,” they said in the email seen by the Guardian. “Unfortunately, we are no longer able to authenticate how the manuscript fully evolved from origin to completion.”
“During the submission process, we vetted the manuscript with Jerry for AI and felt trusting in his reassurance that it was written without utilising AI as a resource in the writing or editorial process. We can no longer substantiate that, and we are withdrawing the book.”
Marc Gerald of Europa Content handled Mr Falade’s U.S. bidding process, while Sandy Hodgman of Hodgman Literary oversaw the UK auction, which reportedly attracted several six-figure bids.
Mr Gerald said an editor noted the possibility of AI use during the submission process, but Europa did not use AI-detection software because it considered Mr Falade’s explanation “clear and credible.”
However, the agency cut ties with Mr Falade on July 29, saying that “aspects of [Falade’s] story changed.”
“We feel terrible for putting this into the universe and the firestorm it has caused,” Mr Gerald stated. “The book itself is genius—however it came to be drafted, it’s amazing.”
Mr Falade, in a statement, rejected claims of using AI, alleging that Black authors particularly face similar accusations when their works gain global attention.
“There seems to be a troubling assumption that when a Black writer produces work that attracts significant attention, the work could not possibly be their own,” he said. “Meanwhile, there are popular white writers who have publicly mentioned using AI for their writing processes, and they’re still doing fine.”
Two Black authors in the United States, Mia Ballard and HM Wolfe, also lost deals earlier this year over similar claims.
“In my case, rumours began circulating and, within six hours, I had been dropped by my agency, deals were paused, and press releases were being issued,” Mr Falade added.
AI-detection tools “are widely known to produce false positives,” the author said, adding that the novel had passed through professionals and publishing houses, and that they would not have failed to notice genuine signs of AI.